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Posts tagged Japan

“Gig in Japan” page 5 takes a bow and exits the stage

“Gig in Japan” page 5 takes a bow and exits the stage published on

The final installment of my Japanese metal show diary comic is here:

That Patreon post includes a discussion of souvenir towels, so hit that link if you yearn to know more.

If you yearn to read the whole comic in one fell swoop, this is the link for you.

Also, don’t forget to check out my soundtrack playlist for this comic, which is on the YouTubes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYvv_X5qp4EyrOtVkosEwxlxh1e4cVnhZ

Now that this comic has wrapped, perhaps you’re wondering what comes next. Well, I’ll tell you.

I’m about halfway through coloring the next chapter of Valley of the Silk Sky, so that’s getting extremely close to done. I’ve been avoiding setting a specific date for when I’ll start running the chapter as my workflow has been painfully slow (sometimes due to literal pain, mostly due to Anxiety About the World We Live In).

BUT. Know that progress is happening, and new pages shall emerge very soon.

Cheers,

Dylan

“Gig in Japan” page 4 works the crowd

“Gig in Japan” page 4 works the crowd published on
Gig in Japan - Mejibray live show diary comic

The latest installment of my Japanese metal show diary comic is here:

Like a lot of gothic metal bands, Mejibray’s style leans heavily on BDSM themes, so it’s not too surprising the crowd would be exuberant about being spat upon.

Also, I would have expected a mosh pit if it had been an American show, and would have avoided front and center accordingly. But no such scrum developed here. I don’t know if moshing just isn’t a thing in Japan, or if it does happen but sticks to other genres. Clearly one of these days I will need to do further research on the matter.

Cheers,

Dylan

Gig in Japan page 3 rocks out

Gig in Japan page 3 rocks out published on

The show goes on! Read page 3 here:

If you check out the Patreon post, you can read some of my musings about concerts past and present, should such a thing be of interest to you.

I will add this one translation note here, though:

The actual rendering of “encore” in Japanese is アンコール (ankouru), where the final “ru” would only be partially voiced. But the crowd was definitely saying a fully-voiced “re” at the end of the word, giving each syllable equal weight as basically a three-beat chant. JUST in case you were wondering.

Tune in next week for page 4 excitement!

Cheers,

Dylan

Gig in Japan page 2 takes the stage

Gig in Japan page 2 takes the stage published on

The second installment of my diary comic about going to see a metal show in Japan is here! Specifically, it is here:

Since this is a short comic, I’ll wait until all the pages are up to post it over on Tumblr (for the five of you who still use Tumblr).

To answer my own question from the first panel, this is not a thing specific to Mejibray shows. I’ve since gone back and watched music videos by other Japanese rock bands, and have noticed the crowds acting in unison there as well. I suppose to the extent I noticed it before I’d just assumed it was a staged coordination for the sake of the video. And, well, it IS a staged coordination, but being filmed has little to do with it.

Tune in next week for more lessons in Japanese rock show etiquette!

Cheers,

Dylan

Gig in Japan is live!

Gig in Japan is live! published on
Gig in Japan - Mejibray live

Perhaps you read this comic when it ran on The Comics Journal last fall, but in the event you missed it, I’m gonna run it here now that the rights have reverted back to me!

You can now read page 1 here. A new page will go up each week!

To refresh your memory, this is my diary comic about going to see a visual kei heavy metal show in Japan a few years ago. Because I’m a nerd for making playlists, I put together a soundtrack for this comic. It’s on YouTube because a lot of the featured bands never had their music licensed for U.S. release, so many of them (Mejibray included) are not to be found on Spotify or iTunes here. (Several of the bands on my playlist make cameos in this comic as t-shirts – this page features Dog in the PWO, a.k.a. Dog in the Parallel World Orchestra.)

True fact: in order to buy Mejibray’s albums, I had to purchase them on CD (!!) which I was only able to find at a Tower Records (!!!) in Shibuya. It was like traveling backwards in time.

Cheers,

Dylan

Page 6 of “Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two’s Cabin” appears, and thus is the story complete!

Page 6 of “Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two’s Cabin” appears, and thus is the story complete! published on
Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two's Cabin

The exciting tale of my journey to a trans bar is Tokyo is now complete! Page 6 is to be found here on Studio NDR and here on Patreon.

If you’re looking to read the whole thing in one swell foop, here is the link for you.

I’ll also be posting the whole story to Tumblr soon, but not right at this second. Once it’s up, I’ll post a link here.

As for what’s next on the comics docket, Valley of the Silk Sky: The Long Run Chapter 11 is finished and ready to go. I’ll start posting pages for public consumption on January 16, 2020. Patrons who pledge $1 or more per month will, as is  the custom, get early access to pages, so for those folks it’ll start on January 13.

See you then!

Dylan

Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two’s Cabin page 3 is here, is now, as is some new Feeping Creatures stuff

Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two’s Cabin page 3 is here, is now, as is some new Feeping Creatures stuff published on

The exciting saga of my adventure to a Japanese queer/trans bar in Tokyo continues! You can read page 3 here on Studio NDR, or here on Patreon.

The documentary referenced in the first panel is called Queer Japan, and it has officially been released! You can view a promo for it here.

Also, if I knew how to say, “I speak some Japanese, but not much and not well and I definitely don’t understand colloquial speech as opposed to textbook constructions,” I’d say that. But I don’t, so “I don’t speak Japanese” it is.

New Feeps, you say

I do indeed. I updated my Feeping Creatures Etsy shop with some new items, including stickers, zines, and original art. Check it out, and maybe snag some indie art by an indie artist?

Cheers,

Dylan

Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two’s Cabin – page 2

Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two’s Cabin – page 2 published on
Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two's Cabin

The second installment of my autobio comic detailing my adventure to a trans bar in Tokyo has arrived, and you can read it here on Studio NDR or here on Patreon.

There was a small restaurant on the same floor as Two’s Cabin (the カレー店, a.k.a. Curry Shop), which had a few people waiting in line outside the door. I think when he first showed up, Masaki (owner and founder of Two’s Cabin) assumed I was waiting to be seated at the restaurant and not for Two’s Cabin to open, because he was a little surprised when I poked my head in the door.

I was glad I’d followed his Instagram prior to my journey, since I at least knew from the photos that I was in the right place.

See you next week for … PAGE THREE.

Cheers,

Dylan

Two’s Cabin, Be Gay Do Comics, and Valley of the Silk Sky news

Two’s Cabin, Be Gay Do Comics, and Valley of the Silk Sky news published on
Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two's Cabin

So many announcements to announce!

First, up, for the next few weeks I’ll be running my comic that originally appeared in We’re Still Here, an autobio comic about my visit to a queer/trans bar in Tokyo.

The first page of Trans Tokyo: A Trek to Two’s Cabin is here on Studio NDR and here on Patreon.

As per usual, Patrons get early access to comics, so new pages go up for Patrons on Monday, and are released to the general internet on Thursday.

I’ll be posting this on Tumblr eventually as well, but since it’s a short comic it makes more sense to do a single post there rather than individual pages in separate posts.

Be Gay, Do Comics

Meanwhile, The Nib is running a Kickstarter for this giant tome of queer comics, culled from the many pieces they’ve run online over the years. I have some work in this book, alongside a host of numerous other amazing cartoonists. Go forth and back the Kickstarter to snag a copy for yourself!

Valley of the Silk Sky progress report

Finally, I will actually have a new chapter of Valley of the Silk Sky: The Long Run to post soon. Chapter 11 is fully penciled and inked, and I’ve now moved on to coloring.

Current plan is to start posting pages around about the 5 (!) year anniversary of the comic, which is in mid-January.

So! Lots of comics coming your way. Stay tuned!

Cheers,

Dylan

DiNKy business

DiNKy business published on No Comments on DiNKy business

queer and trans comics by Dylan Edwards

DiNK Denver is coming up this weekend (April 8-9, 2017), and I will be there with a pile o’ comics for sale! I’m one of the local artists profiled in this here Westword article.

I will also be on a panel on Sunday April 9 at 2:15 – Cultural Influences of the LGBTQ Community on Indie Art

And. AND. Valley of the Silk Sky is nominated for a DiNKy Award for Best Webcomic!

If you’ll be in Denver this weekend, please come to the show and support indie creators!

EVEN MORE EXCITEMENT:

Back in November I was interviewed by American View magazine, a publication of the U.S. Embassy in Japan which seeks to bring American culture to a Japanese audience. Well, that interview is now live! It’s available in both English and Japanese (there’s a button at the top right to switch languages), so you have no excuse not to read it.

Finally, I’m wrapping up a comic I’ve been working on for an upcoming anthology. I got really sick this past month and there was other family stuff going on, so my productivity has been very slow of late. I’m gradually getting back on track, though, so hopefully I’ll have some new stuff to show off soon.

As per usual, my $1+ Patreons are getting sneak peeks at works in progress, as well as behind-the-scenes fun. A mere one dollar a month snags you these fine perks, and helps keep me creating new stuff. Pitch in if you can!

Cheers,

Dylan

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